Disintegrating apparatus for use in the recovery of gold.



E. ROMBOUTS. DISINTEGRATING APPARATUS FOR USE IN THE RECOVERY OF GOLD;

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 10. 19M.

Patented Oct. 8, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I Wmeww,

E. M. ROMBOUTS. DISINTEGRATING APPARATUS FOR USE IN THE RECOVERY OF GOLD.

APPUCAHON FILED JAN.10. 1914. 1,281,073., Patented Oct. 8, 1918.

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EDUARD MARIA ROMBOUTS, OF AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 8, 1918.

Application filed January 10, 1914. Serial No. 811,383.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDUARD MARIA ROM- BoUrs, a subject of the Queen of the Netherlands, residing at Bloemgracht 29, Amsterdam, in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Disintegrating Apparatus for Use in the Recovery of Gold, of which the following is a specification.

In the recovery of gold from auriferous alluvial earth it has been heretofore usual to employ the so-called Long Tom and sluice boxes. Both these devices are of simple construction and their purpose is to divide or break up the auriferous earth in order that as large a quantity of goldas possible may be withdrawn therefrom during treatment.

Generally the so-called Long Tom consists of a trough of about eight feet in length, three and one half feet in breadth, and fifteen inches in depth. Into this trough the earth to be treated is thrown. Water mixed with the earth or loam to be treated is delivered through a gutter or launder to one end of the trough and flows away at the other end through an inclined perforated iron plate.

The earth thrown into the trough is frequently hard and tough and often contains stones; while in the trough it is worked up into a pasty mass by being moved to and fro over the perforated iron plate with a kind of shovel called a puddler. When sufficiently worked the earth is washed away through the holes in the plate and passes into a wooden receptacle in which, as well as in the before mentioned trough, a quantity of mercury is placed to assist in obtaining the gold by dissolving the finer particles.

In working with the Long Tom the amount of auriferous earth that can be treated per day does not exceed about from one to one and a half cubic meters or even less if the auriferous earth contains very much loam, and in such case the consumption of water is considerably increased. For'this reason treatment with the Long Tom is not suitable for working on a' large" scale although for work on a small scale the apparatus generally-yields good results.

When the quantity of water which is available for Working is greater, the so-called sluice boxes are ordinarily used. These sluice boxes comprise a number of wooden gutters of from eight to twelve feet in length and one foot in breadth arranged at a definite inclination one after the other and connected together end to end. So-callcd rifiies or metal grids are arranged at the end of the gutters for the purpose of catching the gold and into these riflles or ledges mercury is poured, as is also the case in the Long Tom, in order to dissolve and thereby retain the finer particles of gold. By means of a sluice box it is possible in the same time and by the same number of workmen to treat a much larger quantity of earth than is the case with the Long Tom.

When using the sluice boxes however not so much gold per cent. is obtained as with the Long Tom owing to pieces of stone and balls of clay which still contain gold being carried away by the force of the larger quantity of water employed. The sluice boxes are moreover quite inefiicient when the earth to be treated contains much loam. The earthy mass then cakes together and the balls of clay so formed are carried along by the water in the sluice box and consequently a large portion of the already separated gold is again carried off with them as it adheres to the outer surface of the tough balls of clay as they move forwardly over the auriferous constituents.

The object of this invention is to provide simple and eflicient disintegrating apparatus for use in the recovery of gold by means of sluice boxes, the said apparatus being interposed between two successive gutters and being so constructed as to effect a' more perfect disintegration of the earth under treatment with the result that the separation of gold in the rifi'les is facilitated.

The accompanying drawings illustrate by way of example one construction of disintegrating apparatus according to the invention.

Figure 1 shows the apparatus in longitudinal vertical section.

Fig. 2 is a plan, and

Fig. 3 is a transverse section correspond ing to the line AA of Fig. 1.

The apparatus illustrated comprises a casing 1 which is closed at its ends and the upper part of which is hinged or otherwise arranged to form a cover 2 that can be readily turned or moved in order to allow free access to the interior of the casing.

. Extending through the ends 3 of the easing'and horizontally throughout the entire length thereof is a shaft'4c mounted to ro tate in bearings 5. Blades 6, of chisel or other suitable shape, are fixed at intervals along the entire length of that portion of the shaft at located within the casing, the pitch or distance apart of the said blades being such found to be most suitable for the kinds of earth to'be treated. The blades are fixed in rectangular or other shaped holes in the shaft a by means of wedges or the like and project an equal distance on both sides of the shaft. One end of each blade is formed with a conical point and the other end thereof is chisel shaped or flattened, the arrangement of the blades being such that in each row of projecting blades the flattened ends 'and the pointed ends are arranged alternately to each other.

The lower part of the casing is semicylindrical and of such size that the ends of the blades travel a short distance from the curved inner surface of the casing as the'shaft 1 rotates; the cover 2 is also curved but to a much larger radius so that far greater clearance is left between the blade ends and the inner surface of the upper part of thecasing. On one side the casing is formed near its upper end with an opening 8 through whichv the treated material can pass from the casing and lower down the said side is formed with holes 7 through which the water employed for the treatment can escape.

At the top the casing or its cover is formed on one sidewith an oblong slot 9. for the admission of theearth to be treated and also for the water. The. gutter or launder 10 through which theearth and: water are led into the apparatus extends at its delivery end just inside the slot 9.

One of the ends 3 of the casing is formed with an opening adapted to. be closed by a slide. 11 that can be moved by hand for the purpose of rendering the lower part of the casing, accessible so that it can be efficiently cleaned. By opening the slide more or less water can be allowed to escape and by regulation of the width of theopening the exit of the water can be controlled as desired.

Arranged below the casing 1 is atrough or gutter 12 which is inclined to correspond with agutter or sluice box 13 into which the contents of the trough. 12 flow from the. outlet and thereof which is constructed as shown.

Conveniently the shaft tis rotated by a belt working on a belt pulley 1 1.

The action of the apparatus is asfollows:

V The-earth to be'treated, such as auriferons alluvial loam, clay or the like, together with a sufficient quantity of water, areintroduced into the Casing 1, through; the supply gutter orlaunder 10 and the bladedshaft 4;..is rapidly rot ed. The m frof clayv or'loam in thecasing is thereby. kneaded. and; reduced to a fine state of subdivision. During the rotary movement of the shaft i the broad ends of the blades 6 rub the clay against the inner surface of the casing walls and thereby exert a similar action to that effected by the hand operated puddler when treating earth in a Long Tom. The pointed ends of the blades the same time disintegrate stones and lumps of clay or loam which are present in the material and which are then further ground up by the revolving blades.

The superfluous water and the sufficiently ground clay leave the casing through the openings 8 and 7 respectively and pass into the gutter 12, whence in consequence of its inclination they flow into the delivery sluice box 18.

The gutter 12 and the sluice box 13 may be. furnished with ridges or riflies, and be supplied. with mercury. The gold present in the disintegrated mass will be caught by the riffies: and separate very easily owing to the complete disintegration.

It is to be noted that in the apparatus described with reference to and shown in the accompanying drawings the supply launder and delivery sluice box are arranged at right angles to each other, although it will be understood that the apparatus may be so constructed that the'said parts may be arranged in line with each other.

In the recovery of gold as heretofore largely effected by means of sluice boxes the earth treated frequently still contains considerable quantities of gold, which, owing to the insufficient disintegration or grinding of the earth could not be recovered by sluice boxes. Thus for example in the goldfields of Surinam or Dutch Guiana there are numerous examples of works where the work is commenced with sluice boxes and where the. earth so treated is subsequently profitably subjected to treatment several times with the Long Tom. With apparatus constructed according to the present invention a sufficient separation of the auriferous constituents of the earth treated can be obtained at onceby the use of sluice boxes.

What I claim is 1. In apparatus for use in the treatment of auriferous earth for the recovery of gold, a casing adapted to receive water and material to be disentegrated, and means adapted to produce a rubbing action on thematerial against the casing, said means comprising a plurality of rods having relatively broad ends with a space between adjacent ends of the rods, .said casing having a closed bottom and openings at a side,- adapted to permit the ejection-of pebbles or the like.

2. In apparatus for use in the treatment of auriferous earth for the recovery of gold, acasing adapted to receive Water and material to be. disintegrated, andmeanS adap ed to roduce a rubbing action on the material against the casing, said means comprising a shaft in said casing, a plurality of rods on said shaft, said rods having pointed ends and relatively broad ends With a space be tween the adjacent ends of the rods, saidpointed and broad ends being arranged to successively scratch and rub the material.

3. In apparatus for use in the treatment of auriferous earth for the recovery of gold, a casing adapted to receive water and mate rial to be disentegrated, and means adapted to produce a rubbing action on the material against the casing, said means comprising a shaft in said casing, a plurality of series of rods on said shaft, said rods having pointed ends and relatively broad ends with a space between the adjacent ends of the rods. the broad ends of the rods of each series being arranged to act successively upon the material, said pointed and broad ends being arranged to successively scratch and rub the material.

4. In apparatus for use in the treatment of auriferous earth for the recovery of gold, a casing adapted to receive water and material to be disintegrated, and means adapted to produce a rubbing action on the material against the casing, said means comprising a plurality of rods, each rod having a relatively broad end and a pointed end, said rods being spaced apart on the shaft, one rod occupying an angular position with reference to the axis of the shaft difi'eren from that next to it.

5. In apparatus for use in thetreatment of auriferous earth for the recovery of gold, a casing adapted to receive water and material to be disintegrated, and means adapted to produce a rubbing action on the material against the casing, said means comprising a plurality of rods, each rod having a relatively broad end and a pointed end, said rods being spaced apart on the shaft, one rod occupying an angular position with reference to the axis of the shaft different from that next to it, one rod having its pointed end opposite the broad end of the second rod in order from it axially of the shaft.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

EDUARD MARIA ROMBOUTS.

Witnesses:

THOMAS H. VERHAvE, D. KLEIJN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

